Slope matching actvity

     In Algebra we are working on Slope-Intercept Form. I'm trying to flip my two Algebra classes, but it is not as easy as it sounds to do this. My two classes are very different from each other. Actually they are polar opposites! My one class does all of the work I give them with only two students that I need to follow up with. My other Algebra class has about 3/4 of the class that do not do the work required and it is a daily struggle to keep them motivated and up to date on their work. They have been watching videos and completing their notes at home then we are doing activities to reinforce what they learned. What I am finding is that they may copy the notes but they don't read them for understanding. This is going to be a process but I'm going to continue until the end of the year. It is something that I've always wanted to try, so we will see how it goes.

     Today we started this slope-intercept matching activity from Math Giraffe at teacherspayteachers.com. How I love teacherspayteachers.com. I can make great foldables but not these activities. This one is well worth the price. Students match graphs, slope and y-intercepts and equations. The only thing I added to this activity was to number the graphs from 1-10 so they could put the first ten in order to make it easier for grading. Everyone was talking and working hard today and that makes it a good day.

I don't know why they will not clear their desks off so they have room to work. Why????

 I prefer to have partners for this but when there is an odd number we have one 

group of three. Great collaboration with this group.

There is a template included for the pieces to be glued to but 

I had extra colored paper I needed to use. 

.

Deep concentration here. I love it:)

     This is a short quick post but I am trying to stay to my three post per week. So far I'm on track for this week. YES!!! I am having so much fun this quarter and my students are loving this too. I'm hoping that the videos and notes get better. This quarter is flying by. Wow.

Til next time,

Jan

1 - 100 game group activity for 100% engagement

I'm catching up on posts that have been sitting in my draft box forever. This is an activity that I did at the beginning of the school year. It was so much fun.😊

On twitter I saw a tweet from   Megan Schmidt @Vegan Math Beagle about this activity by Sara Van Der Werf and I decided to use it the second week of school. At the beginning of the school year I always do group activities for students that are fun and get the kids talking and working together. OK, I had way too much fun doing this activity with my kids in all of my 8th grade math classes. 

I changed Sara's directions slightly. I did four rounds instead of three. I had some groups of four and some groups of three. It was much easier for the groups of four to see the pattern than the groups of three. 

I passed out this sheet from Sara Van Der Werf -1 to 100 game to each group.

Each student had a different color highlighter and they had to highlight the numbers from one to one hundred by taking turns going in a circle. I set the timer for 3 minutes and then they furiously started to work. This is repeated three times. Sara has very explicit directions that are in the link below. I love it when I have a script the first time I do an activity.

By the end of the period the kids were screaming with delight. There were smiles everywhere. This was a great way to introduce how to work together in a group. 

You can download all of the directions and worksheets here, Sara Van Der Werf- 1 to 100 game.

When we started the kids were sitting in their seats, 

passing the paper and they were calm.

Yes this group was taking their time looking for the numbers.

Then they started to stand up to get closer to the paper. 

At his point most groups realized that passing the paper was wasting time 

so they kept the paper in one place and huddled over it.

They started pointing and helping each other as time got shorter.

This group finally decided they needed to get the desks out of the way

 and they sat on the floor.

I love this activity and taking lots of pictures from each class added to the fun. It was also a great way for them to see what working together looks like. This is a keeper for sure. Thanks Sara for sharing this.

Til next time,

Jan

Rally Coach (Kagan Structure) with word problems

This morning I woke up and decided to sit, drink my coffee and catch up on reading some of my favorite blogs. Justin at Re-Learning to Teach had a post where he reflects on some of the very same issues I have with many of my 8th grade Pre-Algebra students. I started to leave him a comment but it was very long so instead I have decided to join Justin's "Whine and Cheese" party here on my blog. 

Most of my posts usually involve lessons I am using in my classroom or reflections on training I have completed. However, I have failed to reflect on the behaviors of many of my students and strategies I may take to improve their behavior. Many of my 8th grade Pre-Algebra students are exactly like Justin's students. The majority of my students do not complete homework when it is assigned and are not getting the practice they need to learn the skills that are being taught. We have been working on writing equations from word problems which is difficult for many of my students especially my second language learners. We used my most used graphic organizer, (see previous post HERE), and I decided to use a Rally Coach Kagan Structure in class to give them the practice they needed in a fun way.

I am fortunate that my school has been receiving Kagan training throughout the year as part of our School Improvement Plan. So far this year we have had three full day training sessions. The entire school has been using these structures with our classes and it has been a great experience. 

If you are not familiar with the Rally Coach Structure I will try my best to explain it to you. First of all, the students in our classrooms are in groups of four, sometimes a group of three if there is an odd number of students. They have shoulder partners and face partners for group work. See this post on Kagan Structures for an explanation of the group set-up.

For the Rally Coach, students work with their shoulder partners. The explanation given from the teacher is important because social and group expectations are a huge part of Kagan. First, you explain what you want the students to do and the behavioral expectations for the group. Next, you let the kids know what behaviors you don't want to see and lastly model the expected behaviors. 

Here is what a Rally Coach looks like:

• One of the partners is given a question that has only one correct answer. That's easy to do in math. 
• There is also only one piece of paper and one pencil for the pair. 
• Partner A solves the problem explaining their reasoning to Partner B. 
• Partner B coaches Partner A if they need help and also affirms the work they are doing correctly. 
• If the answer is not correct, Partner B coaches Partner A to arrive at the correct answer. 
• Once they agree on the answer, the teacher checks it, and gives positive affirmations to the students or suggestions on what to change.
• When the pair has the correct answer the teacher hands a new problem to Partner B. 
• The students switch roles and repeat the process.

That was a very very short explanation of what we learned in one of our sessions.

 I knew the majority of the kids wouldn't do the homework so I took the homework questions and placed each question on different sheets of colored paper. I needed to have 16 copies of each question, one for each of the pairs in my room. The pairs were given only one whiteboard and marker and the partner who was doing the problem was the only one who could write on the whiteboard. When the students agreed on the answer they raised the whiteboard in the air, I quickly checked it and handed the next question to that pair. The different colored paper made it easy for me to keep track of what question I should give them next. I had a total of 10 questions and only a couple of pairs were able to answer all of the question in a 45 minute period. 

I am here to tell you I was amazed at how the kids behaved and stayed on task. All but one of my 100 Pre-Algebra students were actively involved. The one student just drew basketball courts when it was his turn. Another day, another story. Best of all, they all had the practice that I wanted them to have and they didn't have homework. Everyone was happy:)

I really like how we teach social skills along with the math that we do. I have seen an improvement in how the kids are reacting to each other in class. They are learning how to interact with each other in a positive way, how to give and receive affirmations and are learning a little more patience.

It was a fast paced period, good thing I wore my gym shoes that day. I will definitely use this strategy again. Let me know if you try this and how it works. 

Til next time,

Jan

Kagan Structures

     I am so excited! Two weeks ago, my school finished its first all day training on how to use Kagan Structures in our classrooms. The entire school is participating in three training sessions throughout year. I have been teaching for a long time and didn't ever think there would be any training I could receive that would improve my students behavior during group work. Well, I was so wrong. When Kagan instructors say, "It's all about engagement," they are so right. In the past when my classes have worked in groups there were always those students who just did nothing, while others would just hide from me. Some students would work hard and others would be talking and off task. It was hard to keep them all engaged. So here are a few things that I learned and started using with my classes this week.

    The first thing I needed to change was how to get my classes to be quiet and listen. I have always used the 3-2-1 countdown, given them the stare or said, "Shhh, shhh, shhh." I became very frustrated that I had to waste so much time on this. Our trainer said that simply saying, "Signal Please,"  then raise your hand and have all the students raise there hand and look at you. You say nothing else, just sit and wait. When everyone is quiet and looking at you say, "thank you," and then continue with what you want to say. Now this seemed very elementary to me but I saw it work with the 50 middle school teachers in my building during our training. Now if you can get middle school teachers to stop talking that is quite a feat! I started using the quiet signal this week with my students from day one. These were actually the first words out of my mouth in all of my classes. I am here to tell you that I am shocked that it is taking less than 5 seconds to get everyone looking at me and quiet. We also had our first assembly Friday and the teacher leading the assembly used this quiet signal and over 700 students became quiet and attentive. All of our teachers are using this quiet signal so the kiddos know exactly what to do. So simple, how come I didn't know to do this years ago?
     The next thing I changed was how my classroom was arranged. All of the tables or desks are now in groups of four and at an angle so that everyone can see the teacher without turning around. In the center of each of the tables are Kagan mats.Click here to see Kagan Mats from the Kagan catalog. I am still in the process of placing the finishing touches on my room. Pictures of my classroom will be posted later this week. (Our open house is Thursday so you know it will be finished by then!) A teacher at my school made mats that are similar and I cut them into four parts placing one on each desk. Unfortunately, my desks do not make a flat surface so the mat won't stay put. Cutting the sections apart and securing them with packing tape should work for awhile.
     The next step was to keep the kids engaged and accountable for their learning. Every ten minutes you need to change your engagement to keep their attention. The first day consisted of getting to know you activities. The next day the problems were math based. I wanted the kids to understand that there are many ways to solve a problem and that some problems can have multiple answers. I guess the easiest way to explain this is to give you an example of some of the problems we did in class last week. 
   

     Warm up #1

Which number does not belong and why:
36     81     9     25     72

Teacher: I am going to give you 1 minute of quiet think time to find the number in the list that does not belong. Write the number you found with an explanation of why it does not belong with the other 4 numbers.

     I put on my timer, click here for an Online stopwatch, and let them work. After the timer went off I said this:

     Teacher: You will be working with your shoulder partner and explaining what number you chose and why that number does not belong with the others. If your partner has a different number than you write down their number they along with their reason. You will have one minute  to share. Partner A will start and Partner B will listen. Ready, go.

   It is important to give the instructions first and save who is going to begin til last. That way everyone is listening to the directions. I put the timer on and walked around the room while students shared. Then we did the same thing with partner B explaining the number they wrote down. Next, we shared as a group with the student 1 (look at the mats) explaining what their partner had and going around the table. The group created a group list that we shared as a class when they were finished. I gave them 3 minutes to do this.
    As you can see, everything is timed, and anywhere from 25% to 50% of the students are talking and explaining during the activity. Instead of me explaining everything, the students are explaining and learning from each other. There are no more students hiding and not participating. The activities we started with this week have no right or wrong answers so I am creating an environment where they feel safe sharing with each other. ( I of course thought that 72 didn't belong because it was not a square number. Other possibilities, 9 is the only single digit number, 25 is not divisible by 3 or 9, and 25 because the sum is not = to 9.) Any other answers that you see?

                                                   Warm up #2

                                         How many squares do you see?

     This was a puzzle I found on Facebook a couple of years ago. The kids love this one and there is a short video that shows the best answer for this problem. Again, I stressed that the question is, "how many squares so YOU see?" There are many different answers, none are wrong, but one answer that is the highest number of squares. Click here for a video that shows the best answer for How many squares?

                                                  Warm up #3
        Find a word worth $0.60 when A=$0.01, B=$0.02, C=$0.03,etc.

     The last problem that the kids work on last week was the = 0.60 cents problem. It was so much fun watching the groups work to try to find a word that would = a sum of 0.60 cents. Watching the kids, I realized that I need to work on problem solving strategies with them. I thought the very first thing the groups would do was to make a list of the alphabet with the corresponding numerical value next to each letter. They didn't! Most of them were counting through the alphabet for every single letter. Using the guess and check strategy most groups did come up with a word. They loved this problem and my Algebra classes wanted more time to work on it the next day.
     One of my students was excited because he found that the word, yes, added to make 60 cents. However, he had the letter s as being worth 20 points when it should have been 19. When I looked at his list of the alphabet the letters were in this order; m, n, o, p, q, U, r, s, t .... At first I laughed to myself and explained to the student that q is followed by u in words but not in the alphabet. I was also sad because it reminded me of how much background knowledge I think my second language students have but may be missing.
     The structures I have used so far are the rally robin, round robin and stand up-touch down. I am also using random grouping until I have some test scores for my classes. I will explain how to create groups and what these structures look like in a later post. I need to go through it on my own first. 

Til next time,

Jan

     

 Disclaimer: I am not a certified Kagan instructor. All of the information given are my thoughts and reflections of the training I attended, as well as activities that I decided to implement.

Changes, Changes, Changes, Brain Dump number 1

                                        

                                                                               blog.esker.com

      I have to admit it. This year I feel terribly overwhelmed with all the changes that we are expected to make, I don't even know where to start. So when I feel like this I have to do a, "brain dump." I just take everything that is floating around in my head and dump it onto paper. Once I do that I feel like I can get an idea of where to start or at least do something from each category. So here I go.
    1. My first priority is to make lessons that align to Common Core Standards.  I began with my 8th grade Pre-Algebra classes last year but did not change anything with my Algebra. Second semester is when I started feeling good about the changes I made to the Pre-Algebra curriculum, but my 1st semester lessons are not put together the way I would like them to be. I can not go into the school year, less than one month away, without having the first units ready to go. I have bits and pieces but I'm not there yet. Twenty-four days til school begins. Yikes!
     Algebra is another story. I have always used the Algebra book and then supplemented where needed. Now, not having a book to refer to is really a challenge for me. In Pre-Algebra, I haven't used the book in years, but the Algebra book has been great. Not any more! The curriculum is all over the place in the book as I am sure you all know. On the last day of school we were given the curriculum and told we could pull from the book or use Engage New York - Algebra and follow it day by day. I guess I am going to try Engage New York and fit it to the needs of my students. Looking at the first module is a challenge. I like to have a book to see how everything is laid out. This is so big that to print it all is ridiculous so reading it on the computer is what I am going to have to do. We will see how it works.
     2. Standards based grading and Common Assessments- My district did provide training on SBG this summer. See my post on SBG here. I've been reading blogs and I did go through the training but I am still having a hard time with writing assessments for this. 
    3. Interactive Notebooks. I want to use Interactive Notebooks with not only my Pre-Algebra classes, but also my Algebra classes. This is going to be a lot to do considering curriculum changes this year.Why not do everything at once? I may do a modified INB scattered with more traditional notes. We'll see. Last year was my first year using INB's with my Pre-Algebra classes. I want to improve on what I started last year. See my post on Reflecting on my first year using Interactive Notebooks . 
     4. Kagan strategies - My building is going to receive training from a Kagan instructor, four times this year. (See Kagan strategies) I know just a little about these methods but am excited to learn more. I am going to pick up a book from our library on this and do some pre-reading before the training so I have a better idea what this looks like. I will be implementing these strategies in all my classes but as far as getting everything organized before school starts in this area is going to be difficult. 
     5. Group work- The layout of my classroom is going to be different this year. I have always had rows in my room as another teacher comes in for two periods a day. This will be a new teacher this year so I am going to have groups of four around the room. The newbie will think it has always been that way. Yeah! Kagan strategies are going to be used to help with the group work. I'd better get reading soon to get a head start for the year.
     6. Technology and Geometer's Sketchpad - How do I add more technology to my classroom? I have a smartboard and am comfortable with that. I use graphing calculators once in awhile, they are 25 years old and I spend so much time fixing them. I plan on using Geometer's Sketchpad when we hit graphing in both Pre-Algebra and Algebra. Geometer's Sketchpad is going to be an amazing tool to use with transformations in Pre-Algebra. I can't wait to use it for that unit. If I can do that much this year with all the other changes I will be making I think that is a good start. (See my post on Geometer's Sketchpad .)
     7. PARCC testing. This will be our first year using PARCC assessments. My students need exposure to lessons and assessments that will prepare them for the types of questions they will see.
     8. Writing standards. In my INB's (Interactive Notebooks) I am going to have the students journal more. As part of my SBG I will have questions that are more like the extended response problems I have used in the past. These problems have the students writing out explanations and I will use our writing rubric to grade the students work. 
     9. Pre Tests. I don't always pre assess prior to starting a unit. As a department we have created pre assessments for the vocabulary for each of our units. It is a starting point in this process.
    10. Differentiation. This is the hardest thing for me to do. Last year Pre-Algebra classes had students that were in the 1st through 76th percentile on the MAP test. This wide range made it so hard to differentiate. I am going to work hard to do better in this area. One of the ways I plan to do this is in the group work. I've never used stations in my class but I'm going to give it a try this year.
     Wow, I knew there were changes this year but oh my goodness! I didn't think it was this much. No wonder I'm stressed. Thanks for reading my ramblings. I'll keep you posted on my progress attacking my new to do list.
                                                            Til next time,
                                                                   Jan